 Yemen said yesterday its troops had taken control of rebel strongholds after weeks of deadly clashes with supporters of a slain cleric in the country's north. "The confrontations have practically ended since last Wednesday," President Ali Abdullah Saleh told reporters, adding that government troops controlled rebel areas.
| "Yep. They're all dead now." |
At least 170 security forces and followers of Hussein Al-Houthi have been killed in the violence which erupted on March 19. Houthi was killed last September along with at least 200 rebels after two months of fighting with state troops. The government blames Houthi's father, Badruddin, for the new round of fighting. "They (rebels) are outlaws with no political weight and do not pose any threat to Yemen's unity," said the president. Yemen says Houthi's armed group is trying to install religious rule and is preaching violence against the United States. The group is not linked to Al-Qaeda.
| They're Shiites, anyway. My guess would be that they're emulating Iran, rather than being under Iran's control. |
Authorities have detained around 800 suspected followers and have shut unregistered schools run by the group. |